Industrial Practices, Systems and Control at Key Stage 4 Abstract This article discusses the relationship between designing and making processes followed in design and technology and industrial and commercial practices commonly used in industry. It identifies a range of industrial and commercial practices and gives examples of how these can be translated into classroom practice in different focus material areas. A unit of work for Key Stage 4 textiles technology demonstrates how industrial practices can be integrated into textiles work, using simple industry-related activities. The unit of work includes learning objectives, possible teaching activities, opportunities for building an understanding of industrial practices and further activities/homework ideas. The relationship between the designing and making processes followed in design and technology and industrial and commercial practices commonly used in industry In design and technology we follow a design and manufacturing process that is based on an industrial model. At Key Stage 4 the National Curriculum document refers to these activities as 'industrial practices'. In industry these designing and manufacturing processes enable manufacturers to make high quality, cost-effective products at a profit. Many industrial design practices and manufacturing systems make use of Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAD/CAM) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). These have revolutionised the way the industry works, enabling companies to communicate information quickly and to design and manufacture on a global scale. Thus it is that these practices are part of the requirements of the National Curriculum for design and technology and they are also practices used by UK industry to achieve the successful manufacture of innovative products that provide valuable exports. Industrial practices used in this way enable and encourage creativity. We need to use them in the same way, as processes that enable students to design and make innovative products. We also need to provide a curriculum that is relevant and forward looking. Using up-to-date industrial practices will enable us to do this, as long as we use them as processes for encouraging creativity, innovation and enjoyment of design and technology. Bringing industrial practices into the classroom will also give students: a wider understanding of the importance of industry and what it has to offer an understanding of how lct has revolutionised industry, enabling manufacturing on a global scale the opportunity for improved motivation and higher levels of achievement an understanding of the need for change.
Figure 1: Summary of commonly used industrial and commercial practices and how they can be translated into classroom activities for different focus materials areas. Industrial and commercial practices Examples Research and development Investigating and analysing: market research product analysis researching British and international standards legal requirements researching scientific and technical information investigating safety requirements and identifying risks considering values issues (aesthetic, cultural, economic, environmental, ethical, political, social, technical) costing products developing design specifications. Designing for manufacture Developing ideas. Modelling and prototyping. Testing before production. Designing for different levels of production. Designing for ease of manufacture, maintenance and product life. Designing for quality and safety. Designing for cost-effective manufacture. Developing manufacturing specifications. Production planning Producing a production plan. Identifying and planning materials, components and equipment. Identifying the method of assembly and the stages of manufacture. Planning and safety requirements. Planning time and cost constraints. Product manufacture Using the most appropriate method of production. Product assembly. Using finishing processes. Resistant materials Use market research to establish the profile of the target market group, identifying the buying behaviour, age group, lifestyle and brand loyalty of potential Graphic products customers. Use a shop report to analyse product types, new ideas and technologies and the competition manufacturers. from other Food Generate and model ideas for a variety of food products using a knowledge of materials, texture, composition and flavour. Graphic Products Use 2D and 3D modelling techniques, including CAD software to prototype products and test before manufacture. Draw up a production plan which includes specifications, details of materials and components, a costing sheet, lay plan, cutting instructions and the work order. Resistant materials Use ICT to help plan the ordering of materials and components, so they arrive just in time for production. Graphic products Identify how the method of production could be simplified so the product meets budget requirements. Systems and control Use ICT appropriately for controlling and manufacturing components and systems. Monitor the life cycle of a textile product from cradle to grave, to assess its effect on people or the environment. Investigate the raw materials, the design, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal Food of the product. Investigate food products already on the market. Use disassembly activities to identify ingredients, taste characteristics, processes manufacturing and value for money. Use the results of the investigation to draw up design specification for a new food product. Systems and control Design and use test procedures to check the quality and safety of design, so the system and the environment. meets needs of the user Produce a manufacturing specification, to ensure that the product manufactured as the designer intends. Provide information about styling and construction details, dimensions, materials Food and components. Produce a detailed time plan to set deadlines for the different stages of man ufactu re. Systems and control Use a systems approach to find the most appropriate components and assembly process. Identify critical control points where quality can be checked. Resistant Explore materials is a range of materials, components and processes to improve the method of production. Use finishing processes to ensure that the product is fault-free and matches the manufacturing specification. Quality Using quality assurance and control. Testing and monitoring production. Testing against British and international standards. Testing against specifications. Resistant materials Graphic products Use a quality assurance system to Use CAD systems to customise and ensure that products meet the required control colour quality to enable specifications. the manufacture of identical products. Food Systems and control Use qualitative testing against specified Use quality assurance tests to ensure quality standards to monitor the quality that product specifications and of food products. tolerance levels are met.
Figure 1: Summary of commonly used industrial and commercial practices and how they can be translated into classroom activities for different focus materials areas (continued). Industrial and commercial practices Examples Health and safety Following legal requirements and standards. Using risk assessment and safe working practices. Products Research the legal requirements related to safety standards in the workplace, for the consumer and for the environment. Investigate BSI and EU standards relating to textile manufacture, use and disposal. Systems and control Research industry-standard hazard analysis and risk assessment techniques. Explain where hazards are likely to occur in food processing. Analyse the potential risk of that hazard. Resistant materials Demonstrate care, precision and attention to detail in the use of tools, equipment and processes, showing awareness of safety in the workshop and beyond. Systems and control A systems approach to design and manufacture. Control systems. Quality systems. Manufacturing systems. Computer systems. ICT systems. Marketing systems. Resistant materials Plan a project using a systems Food Research the use of computer systems approach, to improve planning, to in high volume manufacturing. Explain enable the use of feedback and to how a computer system can help in the monitor quality. design and manufacture of products. Graphic products Investigate the use of control systems Explore how ICT enables feedback of in high volume manufacturing. product sales information to a garment Compare high volume printing methods manufacturer. Use a block diagram to with hand block printing. explain this process. A further reason for including industrial and commercial practices in design and technology is to enable an understanding of the need for change and how to manage it. In the future a job will not be for life. We will all have to be adaptable. The future for our students is life-long learning if they are to stay in the job market. Design and technology is one of the few subjects in the curriculum that will enable students to learn to be flexible and develop an understanding of change. Designers and technologists are well placed to manage change because design and technology training encourages new thinking and new ideas.
Figure 2: This shows a typical Key Stage 4 textiles project. It demonstrates how a variety of industrial practices can easily be integrated into textiles work. Unit Title: Stylish About the unit Through this unit students develop design and manufacturing skills by analysing, disassembling and evaluating commercial textiles products. They learn that the design of many textiles depends on image, style or fashion as well as on using appropriate materials and processes. Develop design and manufacturing understanding and skills by analysing and evaluating commercial textile products. Opportunities for Building an Understanding of Industrial Practices Design and make assignment Analysis of existing products (by Students are to design a simple hand or eye) is a process used by decorative textile accessory for industrial designers to identify a chosen interior using the well-designed products and to influence of a design style or gather information. It is an a theme. opportunity to discuss the Identify the learning purposes design features of existing of the DMA, analyse the task, products and to use technical set out the assessment criteria terminology. and help students plan a stepby-step approach to the project. The evaluation of products encourages the recognition of IDEA: Style analysis product. In pairs choose an interior (could be living room, bedroom, High lighting topics such as restaurant etc.) from magazines image or lifestyle helps to raise or catalogues and draw up a awareness of the marketing of a chart to explain the style of the range of manufactured products chosen room, explaining: and the values issues that go type of interior with it. types of patterns (checks, spots, floral etc.) colour schemes (warm, cool, bright etc.) mood of the room (modern, traditional, country etc.). Students could add sketches for colour and pattern/style information. Ideas and Further A Activites Market research - collect information about style and colour trends for interior accessories. Students can record information in a chart similar to the one used in class. Many manufacturers use image and branding to promote the sale of products. Explain how consumers are encouraged to buy products because of their image. Identify a particular product and evaluate its relationship with a way of life or lifestyle. Understand how market Focused practical task: research and disassembly Market research analysis are used to inspire design Choose one textile accessory ideas. from the market research and explain why it is suitable/not Recognise that social, suitable for the chosen interior. moral, cultural, artistic or Students could think about: technological issues aesthetic appeal influence the development of style in textiles. fitness for purpose maintenance/aftercare. Explain what may have Use a mood board to influenced the style/colour communicate ideas about of the textile. design, colour, themes, trends and styling. IDEA: Investigating fabrics In pairs students examine a range of different printed or decorative fabrics and record the pattern style, pattern repeat, fabric properties and possible end-use. Comparisons could be Textile designers regularly analyse fabrics, style and colour trends - they need to be up-to-date. They also disassemble fabrics to get ideas about pattern and properties, which they can use as starting points for designing. This links to the use of contextual studies to inspire design work - using art, design and cultural influences. Moodboards are used widely by designers in the textiles industry to develop ideas and to present them to clients. Students can easily model this practice develop their own ideas. The to help use of themes to develop moods or 'stories' about textiles. Students work on mood boards for the chosen interior, using individual themes and the influences of style/colour trends from research. Students could report on the following: designers often use the influence of other cultures to develop their ideas. Do we exploit or promote these cultures by making use of their traditional design styles? Collect pictures of textile products and explain how they have been influenced by other cultures.
Figure 2: This shows a typical Key Stage 4 textiles project. It demonstrates how a variety of industrial practices can easily be integrated into textiles wor co ed made with the textiles seen in market research, with students writing a simple design specification for one of the textiles that they have evaluated. Develop and use detailed DMA Design specifications are developed design specifications Design specification through research information and used Students develop ideas and when designing textile Each student draws up a design to generate and evaluate design ideas. colourways for their accessory. products. specification for their textile You could limit the number of Use design specifications accessory using research information and mood boards The homework asks students to develop design ideas and suggests colours to be used in the design - often fabric designs have a to generate design ideas. to help them. working to a limited colour palate - maximum of three or four colours. an industrial practice. Generating ideas Further activities Students generate design ideas that are guided by the design The video enables students to understand the use of CAD and ICT Students can explain the benefits to the textiles industry of using specification. They can base in industry. If computers are available CAD and ICT ego colour schemes on their moodboards. Encourage students to think about: students can use CAD to develop design ideas and colourways. How CAD is used to develop and adapt designs and colourways etc. colourways, repeats and scale developing co-ordinated fabrics for accessories fitness-for-purpose. How designers use ICT to work with clients The impact of CAD/ICT on the development of prototype textile products. FPT: Using CAD Students watch video 'Talent and Technology' about the use of CAD in the textiles industry. Discuss the impact that computers have on design, modelling and prototyping and how ICT enables designers and clients to 'talk' to each other. Test and evaluate design DMA: Star diagrams ideas against the design Students use star diagrams to specification. evaluate their design ideas against the specification, Understand the difference justifying the chosen design. between quality of design and manufacture. FPT: Experimenting with techniques Students can experiment with techniques to test the decoration of the accessory, using block printing, tie-dye, batik, fabricpainting, applique, embroidery etc, depending on students' prior knowledge and teacher expertise. Opportunities here for students to explore techniques - industrial designers have to be artistic and have an excellent technical knowledge so that they understand and possibilities designing. the limitations of what they are The concept of practising textile techniques - practice makes perfect - can provide the opportunity to discuss the idea of quality of design and man ufactu rer. Students can mount samples, write up and evaluate the appropriateness of their experimental techniques for decorating their accessory. Students could investigate manufacturing issues such as the water pollution caused by dyeing and finishing of fabrics. Produce and use a detailed production plan which identifies the stages of manufacture, the materials, components and equipment required to make a textiles product. DMA: Production planning The production plan includes a manufacturing specification for the accessory, with detailed drawings, design details, dimensions, seam allowances, tolerance, materials and costs, fastenings and finishing details. Production planning is a key industrial practice. The manufacturing specification provides clear and detailed instructions about the product's styling, materials and construction. Students can use a systems - a flow diagram with feedback loops to Produce a flow diagram to show where and how quality can be checked when making the accessory. Use a computer to produce a
Figure 2: This shows a typical Key Stage 4 textiles project. It demonstrates how a variety of industrial practices can easily be integrated into textiles work (continued). Provide quality checks and feedback to help solve problems. Understand that a textile's quality of manufacture can be judged by the appropriate use of suitable materials, how it meets manufacturing requirements and its fitness for purpose. DMA: Practical work Practical work to produce decorative elements for the accessory. Designs could be output from a computer and printed onto freezer paper, then ironed onto a fabric base e.g. for sampling a product as in the video Talent and Technology'. show how and where quality checks are made to monitor quality. CAD/CAM equipment is relatively inexpensive and provides opportunities for computer control. The information in the production \ plan will help students to monitor the quality of work, making checks at each stage of production. work order, giving the assembly processes, equipment required process time and tolerances. As required. Students can write a checklist to explain what changes would be needed if the accessory was to be made in quantity. Practical work to produce the accessory. Students use the production plan to monitor quality and the time available. Students use computer-aided equipment where available to produce accurate/repeatable machine work. DMA: Presentation of work and evaluation Students display and discuss their work. Individual evaluation of achievements. Exam Board assessment sheet provided for student/teacher evaluation of success. Presenting ideas and finished work is an industrial practice to be encouraged. A display and/or oral session can improve design and evaluation skills and can be motivating for students. As required. So what is the way forward? If our subject area is to expand we need to keep up with new ideas and new technology. We need to encourage familiar design and making skills but we also need to emphasise the importance of new ideas, creativity and innovation. We need to find a balance between 'design' and 'technology'. Recently there has been an emphasis on 'technology' and on 'manufacturing' aspects in design and technology, which may have stilted imaginative thinking but if we balance the technological side with creative aspects, our subject can move forward with confidence. Incorporating industrial practices that include 'designing' and 'manufacturing' and creativity will enable this. In order to manage constant change and in order to keep our subject at the leading edge of the curriculum we need to have access to up-to-date materials, let and the Internet. Access to new materials and technology must be easy and new information needs to be relevant. We also need to enable the easy integration of industrial and commercial practices into design and technology work. There are a number of questions related to design and technology that need to be answered. Design and manufacturing practices can involve designing and making for one-off, batch or high volume. Why do we need to know about this? Are we simply enabling students to have an informed choice or a greater understanding of the importance of designing for manufacture? Should we be encouraging more designers when we already produce many brilliant designers that our industry fails to employ? If we encourage an interest in manufacturing as well as design will we enable students interested in product design to become more employable? These are issues that also face higher education. There is no doubt that industry needs innovative designers, but ones that also have an understanding of designing cost-effective commercial products. Industry needs technologists who can source materials, have an understanding of them and develop
products to a price point. Industry doesn't need designers, it needs design technologists. This is one reason why design and technology is important. Check out higher education courses relating to design or technology - the content of many of these courses is now much more closely related to the design and technology curriculum. "Should we be encouraging more designers when we already produce many brilliant designers that our industry fails to employ?" "If we encourage an interest in manufacturing as well as design will we enable students interested in product design to become more employable?" Industrial and commercial practices commonly used in designing and manufacturing and how these can be translated into classroom practice in different focus material areas Industrial and commercial practices are process-based activities that enable manufacturers to make cost-effective products at a profit. Industrial practices include manufacturing and designing activities, used to ensure the production of high quality products for specific market groups. The industrial practices used by manufacturers depend on the type of products they make, the scale of production and the target market group. Many industrial practices are common to a range of manufacturing sectors, where the influence of style and Laying fabric for cutting. Images in outline CAD.
'values' issues on design is increasing - in a global manufacturing environment successful products cannot compete on cost alone, but need the 'added value' that quality of design can bring. Design and technology encourages an understanding of quality of design and manufacture. Translating industrial practices into classroom activities The left-hand column of the chart (Figure I) shows commonly used industrial and commercial practices. The examples in the right hand columns show how some of these industrial practices can be translated into classroom activities for different focus material areas. A unit of work for Key Stage 4 textiles technology Figure 2 shows a typical Key Stage 4 textiles project. It is written to demonstrate how a variety of industrial practices can easily be integrated into textiles work. It is not possible in the space of this article to include details of every possible activity related to industrial practices. Refer to Figure I for more ideas. The unit of work includes: opportunities for building an understanding of industrial practices homework ideas/further activities. References QCA (1998) Draft documents 'Design and Technology - an Exemplar Scheme of Work for Key Stages 1-2' and 'Design and Technology Scheme of Work - Teacher's Guide' ASIA Level Design and Technology (Pilot) Support Materials, developed for the Edexcel Foundation Cresswell, L (1998) Understanding Industrial Practices in Technology Zig-Zag, PO Box 24113, London SW18 5WT Lesley Cresswell is an author/consultant working in curriculum development. Principal Examiner for ASIA Level textiles technology. All views expressed in this article are personal and do not represent those of any agency or organisation. Removing cut pieces of fabric. learning objectives possible teaching activities